


The Storm Raging Outside

by Candles_93



Category: Captain America - All Media Types
Genre: M/M, Post canon, Pre Canon, Stucky - Freeform, the way i said I love you prompts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-02
Updated: 2017-12-02
Packaged: 2019-02-09 14:00:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,657
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12889407
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Candles_93/pseuds/Candles_93
Summary: Based off two prompts from 'The Way I Said I Love You' post.20. As we huddle together, the storm raging outside.26. Broken as you clutch the sleeve of my jacket and beg me not to leave.Three times Steve and Bucky say 'I love you' to each other throughout their lives.





	The Storm Raging Outside

The rain was hammering against the thin window panes making them shake and stutter, the wind whistled through the cracks of the apartment giving the air a distinct chill. 

Steve felt goosebumps flood across his arms and snuggled down further in the thin scratchy blanket draped over him. Bucky must have caught the movement from his own end of the couch, snuggling down himself to so his legs wrapped more firmly around Steve to share body heat. Steve huffed in pretend annoyance, but reached underneath the blanket to tug on Bucky’s ankle and put it in a more comfortable position against his hip.

“I’m fine Buck, just chilly” He smiled at Bucky from across the couch trying to reassure him. Bucky smirked back.

“If you would just come up here and let me spoon ya, I bet you wouldn’t feel chilly then” 

Steve rolled his eyes and used his own bony foot to poke Bucky in the side, making him squirm.

“No way, you smell like the docks” Bucky guffawed loudly at the statement muttering a ‘you don’t smell much better sunshine’, “Besides, I like being able to see your face, I couldn’t do that with my back pressed to your chest” Steve blushed at the admission, the only colour in his pale features. He looked back down at the book in his gloved hands, refusing to look Bucky in the eye.

Bucky smiled softly, outside was dark and awful, the apartment they shared was falling apart and damp and cold. But everything Bucky would ever need was lying across the couch, legs tangled with his, sharing a blanket given to them by Steve’s mum. 

Bucky shifted, leaning forward, causing the blankets to move making Steve squawk at the rush of cold air but then he had a warm body pressed against his front. Bucky’s lips found his in a chaste kiss.

“I love you” Bucky whispered kissing him again, rearranging the blankets around them so he could lay on Steve.

“You’re heavy” Steve protested but his face was now fully red and he wrapped his arms around Bucky to keep him close.

“You’re going to let me spoon ya tonight though right? I need a warm body to help get me through these long winter nights” Bucky skated his hand under Steve’s many layers, pressing his hand against Steve’s warm stomach. Steve inhaled loudly at the cool touch but didn’t protest this time.

“Only if you’re lucky” He whispered, going back to his book as Bucky chuckled.

\---

“Steve I have my orders, I have to go” Bucky walked around the apartment, packing his few belongings into a duffle.

“It’s ridiculous, you don’t even want to go, but I do, it’s not fair” Steve followed him around the apartment, picking up things he was forgetting.

“Damn straight it’s not fair, i’d much rather be staying here with you and freezing to death on our couch” Bucky tried to lift the tense mood, but it wasn’t working.

“Just don’t go, not until I can go with you”

“Oh yeah because not going when called up for active duty always ends well”

“It’s not fair!”

“YEAH IT’S NOT FAIR! You think I want to go out there and die with a bunch of strangers? Hell no! But knowing you are here and safe is enough reason to go, that’s fine by me”

“Please don’t go”

“It’s not that easy Steve, and you know it, now I gotta go, write to me won’t ya?” Bucky tried to smile, placing a kiss on Steve’s head. As he turned to head for the door, he felt a strong hand grip the sleeve of his jacket.

“I love you” Steve whispered sniffling loudly in the quiet room, tugging Bucky back slightly. Bucky let himself be pulled back, and wrapped his arms around Steve, catching a glimpse of the tears in his eyes and trying to hold back his own. He felt Steve grabbing the back of his jacket holding him close. They stood like that for a long time, not able to let each other go, scared of what would happen next.

\---

A lot had happened in the past ninety years. Bucky had died. Steve had died. The war had been won. Bucky had come back to life and been brainwashed. Steve had come back to life and fought aliens. Bucky killed a lot of people. Steve saved a lot of people. They met each other again. Steve had saved Bucky, even when he didn’t want to be saved.

It had taken a long time, but they were back together again. Bucky couldn’t remember a lot of his old life, before the first time he died. Sometimes he would remember things, and Steve would listen and give him more details to flesh out the images he had in his head. Sometimes Steve would tell him stories of things they did together, Bucky loved hearing them even if he didn’t remember, not all of them were happy stories but they gave him a better idea of who he was before everything, and who Steve was too. 

He remembers Steve being smaller, but still as mouthy and stubborn as he is now. And it’s little things like that, that help him settle into this new life, this new time.

Every day gets a little easier, not just his memories or learning new technologies, but easier with Steve. He remembers feeling protective over him, the devotion he had for the smaller man, they were best friends, practically brothers. The hardest thing about coming back was figuring out who he was with Steve again, and who Steve was to him. But they are starting to settle in to each other again. They share jokes and laughs and rib each other constantly. They turn everything into a competition and can read each other pretty easily. 

What’s worrying is the feelings he has been having for Steve lately. The double thump his heart gives when Steve smiles a certain way. When Steve’s hand brushes against his and he can feel the flush on his cheeks. The warm fuzzy feeling that settles in his stomach when it’s just the two of them, and it would be so easy to reach out and touch…

But he doesn’t, he shouldn’t. Steve is his best friend, he’s his rock here in this time, and he thinks he’s the same for Steve. They’ve been through so much, even if Bucky can’t remember lots of it, he knows the history.

The storm is raging outside. Although the thick glass windows of their huge modern apartment keeps it almost silent. The heating is on full blast, but they are still under a thin soft blanket thrown across them on the large couch they are sat on either end of. Steve is reading, their feet touching, and he looks up at Bucky and smiles softly before going back to his book. And Bucky remembers something. It was so long ago, and everything was similar and so different.

He remembers the couch being smaller, their legs tangled up together they were practically sat on top of each other. He remembers being cold, but content. He had Steve across from him, the same soft smile and golden hair, and Bucky didn’t need anything else. He remembers later that night, wrapped around each other under their thin duvet, Steve’s cold lips finding his, Bucky draping himself over Steve and pushing his body into the mattress. Their mouths hot against each other, hands wandering over cool skin, warming each other up from the inside out. Steve panting his name into mouth like a goddamn prayer.

“I remember this” Bucky says into the calm silence, startling Steve out of his book.

“You remember something?” Steve smiles, he always loves when Bucky tells stories he remembers, even if he’s heard them a thousand times.

“We’ve done this before”

“Hanging out on the couch? Yeah we’ve done that lots of times”

“No, sitting across the couch, under the blankets when it rains outside. The apartment used to get so cold you would wear almost every piece of clothing you owned” Bucky smiled when Steve laughed obviously remembering. Bucky sat up and started to crawl across the couch and over Steve’s body so they were face to face. Steve watched wide eyed and swallowed thickly but didn’t tell him to stop.

“And you would never let me hold you, even though I wanted to more than anything, to keep you warm and safe, so I could feel your heartbeat in time with mine” He could feel Steve’s breath against his lips, coming quicker than usual.

“You remember all that?” Steve whispered, Bucky was now between his legs, their hips so close together, he could feel the heat coming off of Steve’s body. It never used to be this warm.

Bucky leaned down, pressing his lips to Steve’s ear.

“I also remember you letting me wrap myself around you later that night in our bed, the way the mattress would squeak and how warm you would be after” He felt Steve shiver and pulled away to find him blushing too. 

“I love you Steve” Bucky reached across the remaining space between them and kissed those lips he hadn’t kissed in such a long time. It felt like a first kiss and something he had done a million times all at the same time. Steve kissed back eagerly, hands cradling Bucky’s face. 

When they pulled away, foreheads touching looking into each other’s eyes, Steve finally whispered,

“I love you too”

It was like the last puzzle piece coming together as Bucky snuggled down into Steve’s side, happy to press his nose into Steve’s neck and breathe him in. Bucky would never remember everything about who he was, and who he was supposed to be. But he had everything he needed right here on this couch in this timeline, so he was probably going to be just fine.


End file.
